Printing-machine.



G. H. LANG.

PRINTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 7, 190:.

Patented Feb.20,1912,

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GEORGE E. LANG, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

PRINTING-MACHINE.

parts.

This invention relates to printing machines and particularly to machines that are designed to print on cartons or boxes.

While the machine is adapted for print ing on cartons which are used for a great variety of purposes, the machine has especial features which adapt it particularly for printing on paste-board shoe-boxes suitable data regarding the size and style of the shoes therein.

It is now the common practice to stamp on the end of each shoe box containing a pair of shoes suitable characters to indicate the style and size of the shoes within the box, the material of which they are made and sometimes other characters to indicate the style of the last on which the shoes are made and the case number. -This stamping has universally been done by "hand and when it is done in this way three or four separate operations are necessary, one operation being required to stamp on the boX the character designating the style of the shoe, another operation being required to stamp theCharacter designating the material of which the shoe lis made, another operation being required to stamp the size of the shoe, etc.

By means of my present invention I have provided a printing machine having a series of adjustable type disks which have formed thereon -the characters which it is desired to stamp on the carton, so that it is possible to stamp all the desired characters on a carton at one operation.

The printing head of the machine herein shown is made adjustable so that the different characters can be placed in different positions on the carton according to the wishes or custom of the party using the machine,

and said machine is also adjustable in such (SIZQS may be' a way that cartons of different properly printed on.

The machine also includes other novel fea-:-

tures of the'invention which cooperate to produce an easily running and easlly manipulated; machine.

Specification of Letters Patent.

In the drawings I have illustrated a selected embodiment of my. invention which shows the principle thereof, but I would state that the invention is not limited in all its details to the particular construction. herein shown.

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through a machine embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is, a front view of the printing head andthe platen; Fig. 3'is a perspective View of the adjustable gage; Fig. 4 .is a section'on substantially the line aa, Fig. 1, showing the manner in which the sections of the printing head may be adjusted; Fig. 5 is a side View of a portion. of the printing head showing the auxiliary type-carrying member in operative position; Fig. 6 is a front -view of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one end'of' ashoe-box'or carton which has been printed on my improved machine; Fig. 8 indicates one series of characters that may be printed on the box The printing machine herein shown has the same general features as the printingmachine shown in my Patents No. 864,790

and N o. 877,653, that is, it comprises a printing head which is mounted on one end of an arm 3 that is'pivote'd to the frame 4, as at 5, the other end of said arm being connected by a link 6 with a crank disk 7. The crank disk is rigidly, secured on a shaft 8 that has fast thereon a gear 9, said gear meshing with and being driven by a pinion 10 on the driving shaft 11. The pinion 10 is fast on the shaft and the latter has loose thereon a driving pulley (not shown) which can be clutchedthereto by longitudinal movement of a clutch sleeve 12, all as more fully disclosed in said patents. This clutch sleeve is operated by a yoke 13 which is fast to a rock-shaft 14, said rock-shaft having an arm extending therefrom to which is secured a link 16 leading to a treadle, so that by operating the treadle, the link 16 is raised, thus rocking the shaft 14 in a direction to clutch the pinion 10 to the shaft 11. The rockshaft 14 has fast thereon an arm 18 and the crankdisk 7 has a recess v17 formed in the side face thereof, said recessbeingso posi'- tionel that when the printing head is ele vated, as shown in Fig. 1', the .rec'ess'comes opposite the arm, thus permitting the arnito Patented Feb. so, 1912. Application filed August 7, 1908. Serial No. 447,377.

be drawn into the recess'by' the spring 20,.

this movement ofthe arm and the rock-shaft 14 unclutching the pinion 10. The parts I thus farv described are or may be as found inmy said patents and form no part of my present invention.

The machine herein shown is especiallydesigned for printing on the ends of shoe boxes, as shown in Fig. 7. Most shoe dealers stamp on the ends of theboxes suitable characters indicating the character of the shoe, the material of which it is made and the size of the shoe, and some shoe dealers also like to have printed on the box or carton a character indicating the style of the last and perhaps some other distinguishing characters. In order to permit these various characters to be printed on the carton, my present machine includes a plurality of series of typedisks, the type-disks of one series having the proper characters thereon for designating the character of shoe, the disks of another series having proper characters thereon for designating the kind of the material of which the shoe is made, and the disks of another series having thereon proper char-- acters to designate the size of the shoe. In addition tothis I have provided a series of type-disks having thereon the proper characters for designating anordernumber or a case number or some other distinguishing mark, and I have also made provision 'for printing on the box characters designating the style of the last. The various type-disks are shown as constructed similarly to the type-disks in my above-mentioned patents and are adjusted in a similar manner. Each type-disk is shown as mounted on. a shaft and having rigid therewith a pinion 21 which meshes with and is operated by a segmental gear 22 provided. with a thumbpiece 23 that extends through a slot in the numbering head so that by adjusting the thumb-pieces the'disks can be set to bring any desired characters thereon into printing position. This manner of adjusting the type-disks is described and claimed in my above-mentioned patents and forms no part of the present invention. The carton or box 25 which is to printed is sustained by a platen 26 during the printing operation, said platen being shaped so that the box can be inserted over it, with the end of the box resting on the top of the platen. The construction of the platen will be described more fully hereinafter.

Referring to Fig. 2, the type-disks hearing the type for designating the style of the shoe are indicated at 27 while those typedisks bearing the characters for designating the material of which the shoe is made are indicated at 28. The type-disks 27 may have thereon any desired characters, such, for in stance, as BLU, F OX,BAL, BTN, COL, OX, TRN, TIE, and CON, etc., these characters being used, to designate the terms blucher, foxed, bal, button, collar, oxford,

indicating the character of material of which the shoe is made, such, for instance, as PAT, VEL, GUN, RU S, WNE, BRN, KID, TAN, BOX, CAL, KAN, these abbreviations being used to indicate patent, velore, gun metal, russet, wine, brown, kid, tan, box calf, kangaroo. If desired all of the characters indieating the character of leather may be placed on one type-disk and all of the characters indicatingfthe style of the shoe may be placed on another type-disk, but if there are a good many characters in each set, it maybe desirable to distribute the characters of each set over two type-disks. By so doing it is possible to print a greater variety of characters because some kinds of shoes require two characters of the same set of characters to properly indicate the style of shoe For instance, the shoe might be an Oxford and yet be of the Blucher pattern or be a Button shoe or a Tie shoe in which two characters of the same. set would be necessary to indicate completely the style of the shoe.

The type-disks having characters thereon forindicating the size of the shoe are indicated at 29, and I have herein shown three such type-disks althou h any number desired may be employe These type-disks are made to print numbers although they might be made to print letters without departing from the invention. I have also shown a series of typeal isks indicated at. 30 having suitable characters thereon for indicating the case number of the shoe, that is, the number of the case from which the pair of shoes in the box weretaken. The type-disks 30 are arranged to print numbers or letters, or both, and each type-disk for printing numbers has thereon the digits 0 to 9.

In order to make the printing head capable of adjustment so that the different characters may be printed in different positions on the carton, I have made the printing head in sections and have arranged one or more sets of type-disks in each section. These sections are not only adjustable so that "the position thereof may be changed but are also interchangeable. It is within my invention to make the printing head with any number of sections, but I find that all ordinary purposes are subserved by making it in three sections, as shown in Fig. 2. The three sections are designated300, 31 and 32, respectively. The section 300 has therein the type-disks 30 for printing the characters designating the case number, the

section 31 has therein the type-disks 27, 28

pieces '33 which support the shaft 34: on

which the typedisks are mounted and the shaft 35 on. which the segments 22 are mounted. Each section is -complete in itself and any-section can be adjusted relative to the other sections without disturbing any of the other sections. One simple way of.

supporting the varioussections of'the printing head so as'to permit this to be done is sh' wn .i Figs. 1 and 4. The arm 3 has at its fre end a cross piece or head 40 which is showxias slotted at 41, and which is provided with a longitudinally-extending groove 42-. Each of the sections of the head isprovided with a rib 43to fit said groove and e'achisection has screwed into it a clamp-- in'g' bolt 44 which extends through the slot 41. \Vhen any one of the clamping bolts is loosenedi the corresponding section of the printing head an be adjusted longitudinalliy of the slot an by removing the clamping bolts entirely from the sections" they may be interchanged, that is, either section may be placed in, any position desired. This making of the printing head in sectionsand making the sections independently adjustable and also interchangeable is an impor;

tant feature of the invention becauseitprovides a printing machine which can be {used for printing on a great variety of different styles of shoe boxes.

My invention also includes a novel device for printing the half sizes. According to some systems the half sizes are indicated by placing an underscoring line beneath the size mark. A size mark without the underportion 47 of said arm has thereon a char-' acter 48 arranged to print the underscoring line 49 shown in Fig. 8 Said horizontal arm is shaped to fit the V-shaped recesses 50 which are formed in the typedisks between the adjacent characters so that when the arm is in operative position, as shown iniFigs 5 and 6, it is held there by the V-shaped recesses. The auxiliary type-carrying member may be thrown into inoperative position by withdrawing it longitudinally 0f the stud 46 until the horizontal portion thereof is withdrawn from the type-disks 29 and then turning said member about the stud 46 into the dotted .line position Fig. 5. Saidmemhermay' be held in its inoperative position by inserting proper names.

the horizontal portion 1 47 -,into the ,loop.

.5 1"formed by the spring 52' which acts on the locking pa'wls 53 although this construction is not essential to the-invention, as said member may be held in its inbperativei'por sition by any other means.

99 is a stop which serves arm 45.

It is sometimes desirable to-print on the carton a character indicating the style of the last in addition to the other character and to permit this to be done I have proto' position the vided the printing section 32 with aIblock 530 which is adapted to -removably sustain a plate 54 carrying type formed to print the character indicating the style of the last. In the particular instance illustrated inthe drawing the last styles areindicated by proper names and the type on'theplates '54 will, therefore, be formed to print such In Fig. 8 the word Hooper isthe character indicating the style of the last, and the plate '54 will be out to print .this word. 'The plate 54 is'made removable so that another plate may be sub stituted therefor and in the present embodiment this is provided-for by. making the ends of eachplate beve1ed,' as at 55, and. confining 5 said plate between two fingers 56, one on eachside thereof. The plate is held in its proper position by means of a spring 57 acting on one end thereof. --The' plate can be" readilyremoved by forcing the spring'57 backwardly sufiiciently to permit the beveled end of the plate from being disengaged from the undercut groove in the/block 530-in which it is received. t

, The platen 26 on which the box is su ported is shown as along comparativey thin bar which preferably has a rubber or yielding surface for the box to rest on. This platen is adjustably carried by a base piece 60 and ismounted for adjustment' in the direction of the length of the line which is printed by the printing head. This'adjustment .is secured in the present embodi ment by making said platen with the T- slot or groove 61 in which is received the head of a clamping bolt 62,.said bolt ex-' tending .down through the table 63.

The carton is properly positioned on the platen by means of a gage. One simple form of gage is shown in Figs; 1 and 3, and it comprises a head 64 having'two projections 65 extending therefrom, said head being mounted on a slide 66 which fits in a groove f rmed in the base 60. The slide 66 is held in adjusted position by means of a clamping. screw 67. This construction permits the gage to 'be adjusted toward and from the platen. In using the devioe, 'the box is placed over the platen with the end resting thereon and with the top edge of the box resting against the projections. 65 of the gage, said gage being properly adjusted so "as to.,properly position the box. The position of the box is shown in dotted lines I Fig. 1.- The gage is made reversible, that is,

platen as desired, depending upon the depth of the box and the position on the end thereof in which it is desired to print the characters.

Wl 1ile I have described my invention as it is;used.in printing distinguishing characters' on the ends of shoe boxes, I wish it understood that the machine is adapted to print on boxes or "cartons for containing other goods, such,, for instance, as hosiery,

underwea-r, gloves, etc'. It will be understood, of course,,that-where other cartons than shoe boxes are to be printed upon the type on, the type'-disks will be'cutto print '25 the appropriate characters on the carton.

, v In the foregoing description I have used the expression style of the shoe? to indicate the. manner in which the shoe is made, .that is', to indicate whether the shoe is an 3'0 Oxfordshoe, a button. shoe, a tie shoe, a

Congress shoe, or a Blucher shoe.

Having fully described my invention,

jijtgibeyond the same at both sides thereof,

what I claim as new and desire't-o secure by 40,} idinally. thereof in its under side and fgpen at one end-thereof, and a clamping bolt carried by the support and having its head occupyingsaid slot whereby the platen 'rcan be adjusted longitudinally and clamped .45 in any adjusted position.

platen having a key slot extending lon- 2. In a printing machine, the combination with a printing head, of a platen-shaped to have a carton placed thereover with one end of the carton resting on the platen, means to move the printing head toward and from the platen, and a reversible gage forposi- .tioning the carton, saidgage being ad ustable toward and from the platen and the platen being adjustable in adirection at right angles to that in which the gage is adjustable.

3. In a prlnting machine, the combination witha printingv head having a plurality of adjustable type-disks, of an auxiliary-typecarrying member situated exterior to said printing head, said member being movable in a direction parallel to the axis of the type disks to bring it into and out of operative position for printing.

4. In a printing machine, the combina tionwith a printing headhaving a plurality of adjustable type-disks having type there on to print characters indicating the whole sizes of shoes and an auxiliary type-carrying member situated exterior to the printing head and having type thereon ofa character to indicate the half sizes, and means for sustaining said auxiliary-member for movement in a direction longitudinally of the head -tobring it into and-out of operative position- 5. In a printing machine, the combina tion with a prin-ting head comprising a casing having type-disks therein, of a stud ex-' tending from said casing, an auxiliary typecarrying member mounted on said stud and movable longitudinally thereon into and out ofoperative position.

In testimony whereof, I-have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE H. LANG.

Witnesses:

Louis C. SMITH, THOMAS J. Pn MMoNn. 

